Several varieties of collapsible lighting devices are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,226 (US'226) discloses a “portable desk light” including “a flat thin battery case with laterally spaced battery chambers defining an upwardly opening channel therebetween.” US'226, abstract. The upwardly opening channel “receives an elongate support arm” with a pivot point at one end and a lamp housing at the opposite end. US'226, abstract and FIG. 1. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. D278,461 (US'461) discloses a “sun lamp” including a base with a channel configured to receive a portion of a support arm connected to a lamp housing. US'461, title and FIG. 1.
The lighting devices disclosed in US'226 and US'461 are limited, in part, because their lamp housings are only rotatable around a single axis. In both cases, the lamp housings are only rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the long axis of the associated support arm. US'226, FIG. 1 and US'461, FIG. 1. This limits a user's ability to direct light to areas on either side of the lighting device.